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Homeschooling in Kansas

(current as of 2010)

Kansas requires that all children between the ages of 7 and 18 attend school. A

school is defined as either a state accredited school, like a public or private school, or a

non-accredited school. A non-accredited school simply means a school which does not

meet the official state requirements for accreditation. Some private and public schools

fall into this category. Kansas does not have an exemption or law specifically for

homeschooling, therefore homeschools are simply private non-accredited schools that

have been established in a residence.

There are three requirements that each non-accredited school must meet:

1) Such schools must conduct their educational programs for a period of timewhich issubstantially equivalent to the public school year. Homeschools

must meet for a time equivalent with what the public school system requires.

Currently in Kansas, public school classrooms must have 1,116 hours per

year in grades 1-11(usually divided into 186 days of 6 hours). Homeschools in

Kansas are free to arrange the allotment of hours and are not required to

schedule 6-hour days.

2) Teachers in such schools must becompetent. This requirement is vague at

best. The term competent is not defined in the statute nor by case law.

Competent does not equal state certified, nor does it require testing scores or

minimum academic credentials. Teacher competency is not subject to the

approval of any governmental authority.

3) Private schools must register their existence when initially established with

the Kansas Department of Education. This in accomplished by filing a form

with the Department of Education online, or by mailing it to the office in

Topeka. There is no fee to register, and annual re-registration is not required.

It is required to provide a change of address if you move.

Important things to note:

There are no other requirements required of homeschools in Kansas. However,if you are removing your child from a public or private accredited school, you

must inform the former school that your child is changing schools. Otherwise

your child will be reported truant.

There are no regulations on standards of learning or curriculum in Kansas. You

are free to teach what you want, when you like, as long as you meet the

minimum hours for the year. It is helpful to know the Kansas Dep of Educations

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standards of learning if you plan to place your child back into public school at

some point.

You are not obligated to notify any school district of your intent to homeschool.

You do not have to agree to teacher or student testing. You are not subject to

visits or inspections. You are not required to keep annual records (though it might

be in your best interest to do so, for personal and legal reasons). If any of these

are imposed on you it is in your best interest to seek legal counsel.

When you refer to your homeschool outside your personal contacts, it is best to

regard it as a private school. There is no homeschool law in Kansas, therefore

homeschools dont exist. To gain the most benefits and respect from businesses

and professionals, you should construct a name, and use that name for your

school.